Common Mistakes To Avoid And First Aid Tips

After having read some of this site, you may have discovered that you have already and unknowingly made some mistakes with your bird. The first section of this page will address some of the common mistakes made by caretakers, and how to deal with them after the fact.

The second section lists some mistakes made by myself and other caretakers. They are presented so that you may avoid them.

The third section offers some basic first aid information

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(SECTION 1) - Common Mistakes

1- Water

If you have unknowingly given your bird water before finding out that it was dangerous, cease immediately. Be extra vigilant about keeping the bird warm, stress free, and and properly fed using an appropriate diet. Bacterial pneumonia is virtually untreatable, but if after 2 days no symptoms such as chills or refusal to eat occur, the danger has passed.

2- Wrong Food

In the mad rush to find food for a nestling, many people unwittingly offer the wrong items. The advice for all cases is to stop using them immediately, and review the advice offered on the 'Recipes' page. If the bird shows no unusual symptoms such as chills, diarrhea, or refusal to eat within 3-4 days, the danger has probably passed.

If symptoms do occur, it would be best to seek out a professional rehabilitator or veterinarian to treat the problem. Otherwise, keep the bird warm and quiet, and hope that it passes quickly. Do not overly pester the bird to see if it will eat. About once every hour, touch the bird's beak once. If he opens his mouth, you may feed him. If not, leave him alone.

A special note about earthworms. So many people have written me telling me that they fed their chicks earthworms that I thought I should elaborate on why it's not a good idea. Earthworms are a nutrionally poor source of food for any nestling. Along with missing certain key elements, they contain too much albumen, which is a fatty type of substance. Their guts also contain soil, which in itself can cause digestive problems. The soil can also contain bacteria and parasites which could endanger the chick. And the worm itself can be a carrier of parasites. Store bought worms are often treated with growth hormones as well. As far as nestlings go, feeding them earthworms can be likened to feeding a child lard that has been left sitting in the open for a couple of days. Not too healthy!

If you have unknowingly fed your chick earthworms, simply stop. Earthworms are not immediately dangerous, and in most cases, the bird will be fine. Any illness observed within several days may (or may not) be attributable to the worms. Only a veterenarian could tell you for sure.

I also do not recommend their use for fledglings, except for robins and thrushes. (see "Species Info." for more details) While some other species do occasionally eat worms in the wild, it is best to avoid the practice altogether when hand raising wild birds. If your bird hunts them himself during the hard pen time, that's fine. Otherwise, they are to be avoided.

3- Rescuing A Fledgling With A Known Parent

Refer to the 'Fledglings' page for advice on returning a fledgling to its parent(s).

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(SECTION 2) - Mistakes To Avoid

4- Chill

While in my care, my bird once became chilled. He did not eat in the morning and started shivering, and he got worse in the following couple of hours. I attributed his illness to a drop of water that had escaped the feeding syringe the night before, however I was wrong. What really had happened was that, although the thermometer in the box said 92 degrees, the warm air from the box was rushing out and being replaced by cooler air from the room. I did not have much of an opening over the box at the time (only an inch along the narrow side of the box), but it was enough. The room was being heated to 20 degrees (Celsius), which apparently was not sufficient. My boyfriend raised the room temperature to 25 degrees C ( this was in June mind you!), and also raised the temperature directly around the bird to 100 degrees F by covering the bird with a small hand towel. The bird was drained by the experience, but made a good comeback afterwards. By nightfall we allowed the temperature in the box to remain at about 93 degrees F.

Moral of the story, keep the room warm too, or do whatever you have to to avoid drafts!

5- DO NOT Abandon Hope

Be better than I, and don't give up hope too easily! If not for my boyfriend the chilling incident mentioned above would have taken the bird away. If you have a problem that you can't find a proper solution for, use your instincts. Patience, observation, and research are your tools, so use them as best you can.

6- Other Mistakes To Avoid

I thought it might be a good idea to list some of the other things that can go wrong that I have heard from other caretakers. This may help you to prevent them from happening to you.

• Cupping a bird with the hands may provide an immediate source of warmth and shelter for a young bird, but as quickly as possible you should find an appropriate box or other shelter for the bird. They can become over-stressed, over-warmed, or injured by this method. I had one report of a young chick dying from this method.

• I received one report from a visitor of ants having found their way into a box containing a young chick. It was bitten to death.

• Small cuts on a bird should always be treated as serious, even if there is little loss of blood. Infection can settle in quickly, and sometimes becomes systemic, which often goes unnoticed. I had 2 such reports. The first bird died, but the second pulled through after some treatment by a local veterinarian.

• Parasites are a serious health problem. If any are spotted, call a vet or pet store dealing in birds, to find out the appropriate measures to take. Please remember that this is a small, wild bird, so any treatment should be undergone with the utmost of care. Start with reduced dosages if possible.

• If a nest with babies should fall, obviously it should be returned to its' original location, and should be securely fastened. If this is not possible, it can often be placed in an area more accessible to you, which is still close to the original location (i.e. if the original position was too high in a tree for you to reach, place it securely on the highest branch of that tree that you can reach.) Check from a good distance that the parents return.

• If in the end, you are still forced to care for a whole nest of young birds, throw away the nest. I have had one report of young nestlings being infested with parasites. This person had kept the nestlings in their original nest at first, but then noticed the nest itself, as well as the nestlings, were full of these parasites. The problem was greatly reduced when the nest was gone. This is not a complete cure for parasites though, and the advice from the previous paragraph should be taken.

• Diseases and parasites can be transmitted to you and other pets (especially birds) by a wild bird, and also to the wild bird by you! Wash hands thoroughly before and after dealing with the bird, or wear gloves. I myself got a 3 day long stomach upset due to taking care of my bird, even though I followed my own advice above. Please be careful in this respect.

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(SECTION 3) - Basic First Aid

Most people are unable to treat an injured or sick bird in their care, and the advice of a trained professional should be sought out. The following are some small tips that I can offer in the interim.

7- First Aid For Bleeding Feathers, Beaks, And Nails

Here's a small piece of first aid that is valuable to know. If a bird breaks a nail or a pin feather to the point of bleeding, you must act fast. The loss of a couple of drops of blood is sometimes all that is needed to kill the bird. Keep a styptic pencil handy (those sticks you get at the pharmacy that stops bleeding from minor cuts on contact), and use it on the nail or pin feather as you would use it on yourself. You will have to hold the bird gently but firmly while doing this, as it may be painful or unpleasant for him.

This can save the bird's life. As usual, after such an event, he may be weak, so give extra care as needed. I am unsure about the appropriateness of using this on any body cut. There the chemicals from the pencil may be more easily transferred into the body, which may harm the bird.

8- External Body Wounds Or Lacerations

Birds with open wounds need to be kept calm, warm, and in extremely clean surroundings to avoid infection. If the bird is tame enough to handle, the wound may be gently cleansed using a clean cloth soaked in tap water only. Do not attempt to clean the wound if the bird resists. The stress of being handled while in this condition can actually kill a bird.

Birds are extremely susceptible to infection, and professional help should be sought immediately.

9- Broken Wing Or Leg

Until professional help can be obtained, keep the bird warm, in a quiet room, and as calm as possible. The emphasis is on making sure the bird moves as little as possible, to prevent worsening the break. To this effect, the bird may be kept in dark surroundings for a period of up to 3 hours. After this, it is recommended to allow the bird to experience daylight (unless it actually is nighttime). This will keep his spirits up. He should also be fed after this time, and have any other needs met.

When transferring the bird to a carrier box, avoid the injured appendage, and be quick! Once placed in the box, cover it with a dark towel to keep him calm. The box should be just bigger than the bird, to avoid tumbling during the transport.

10- Sick Birds

It is very rare for a visibly sick bird to recover, even when it is being treated. If you cannot immediately reach professional help, keep the bird warm and in calm surroundings. If the sick bird is one that is not already in your care, DO NOT rescue it. The rescue will only add to its stress, and hasten its demise.

Extreme care should always be taken around wild animals so as not to become sick yourself. This is no different with birds, and becomes even more crucial around sick birds. The best advice is to avoid sick birds altogether, but if you are absolutely forced to deal with one, use good gloves AND wash your hands afterwards. Any surfaces the bird may have come into contact with should be thoroughly cleaned with a strong cleaning solution. (1/4 cup bleach added to a gallon of water is an easy choice, but must not be used on surfaces or objects that will be returned near the bird.)

11- Pale Feather Stripes (Hunger Stripes)

When feathers have one or more pale stripes occurring both on the hair and the shaft, this is a clear sign that the bird has received a substandard diet or an insufficient quantity of food. A bird with such stripes has extremely weak, brittle feathers. This reduces or eliminates flying ability and the insulating properties of the plumage. Hunger stripes are most easily detected by checking the tail feathers. While feathers are growing, hunger stripes can be caused by a starvation period as low as 3 hours for some species.

While this can occur to a wild bird at any age, hand-raised birds are particularly prone to this condition. The only treatment for hunger stripes is an adequate amount of proper food(s). A hand-raised bird with this condition should not be released until the next molt has occurred, and the hunger stripes have disappeared.

Wild birds exhibiting hunger stripes should not be rescued unless the bird is clearly ground-bound or suffering in some other way. A better way to help such a bird would be to provide plenty of appropriate food at an easily accessible and safe bird feeder or feeding station.

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This website is not intended to replace the expert care that is only available by professional rehabilitators. The use of this website is only intended for those where the option of bringing an orphaned bird to a rehabilitator is not possible. By raising a wild bird yourself, you greatly diminish it's chances for survival. Please check this link for a rehabilitation center in your community: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm. If none are listed near you, call a local animal shelter, veterinarian, or wildlife office/agent for information on local rescue centers. Thank you.

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Last updated:05/10/2006